Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Just a short post today that we have 3 openings for for Ironman Camp coming up in 2 weeks time. We sold out and then had a few cancellations; so if you would like to get in on the fun, camp runs from noon on Friday, August 1st to noon on Sunday, August 3rd.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

This last weekend, I headed down to race what is my most frequented race outside of Ironman Wisconsin; Ironman 70.3 Muncie. This would be my 6th time heading down to Indiana in July and needless to say I was excited to race.

I was optimistic even though the field was stacked and I made a few errors in the last few weeks before the race which lead to me not feeling like my usual. You never know what can happen on race day. As a little tip, when I don't feel good leading into the race I typically add in MORE rest.

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I found myself on the start line as the only guy in a sleeveless suit (outside of one other without a wetsuit). I knew it would be challenging to swim with the guys without the added advantage that a full suit provides, but I also knew that I wouldn't have to worry as much about overheating. The gun went off and I stayed with the front group until about 400m. I just couldn't hang on any longer; eventually I settled into a rhythm with the chase pack, let the HR come back down to earth and then went to front and pushed a nice tempo effort into the finish.

After a quick transition I got onto the bike and had a nice little gap on the group. The only problem was that my legs didn't get the memo and apparently decided to sleep in. I knew it would take a little extra focus and a bit more hurting to stay on task today. I quickly came to terms with things and got on with it. The ride was very uneventful and though I lacked some watts today, I still managed to ride smart and came off the bike within 2minutes of 4th.

Once onto the run I had some major cramping issues that stopped me in my tracks at mile 2...while I had to let the top 5 hopes fade, I was able to problem solve and get back into a good rhythm a few minutes later. As I worked through the next few miles I actually started to feel good and was clawing my way back up toward the money spots. I made the turn around, but the charge stalled. I only got as close as 7th, before eventually finishing in 8th at 3:58.

Though this race had a bit of adversity, I really felt like I dealt with it well, stayed process oriented and still came away with a sub 4hr half ironman.

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During the long drive home, I got to thinking about our sport and how deep it's becoming. On a day like this against a field like this, when I wasn't at my best, it's easy to feel unaccomplished. I actually think a lot of athletes likely feel this way, not just the elites. It reminds me of this interview of Malcolm Gladwell where he talks about Ivy League schools and the complex that they can give some of it's students. Essentially they start to feel "average" when only surrounded by the best.

This perspective helps me to remember that I am lucky to have the ability, passion and body to do what I do. I learned a tremendous amount this last weekend, PR'd on this course and am exactly where I want to be with 8 weeks to go before Ironman Wisconsin.

Congratulations to everyone who raced and a special shout out to Sue Aquila to keep your head up after a bad crash during the race. There is always a silver lining to everything that happens... remember it, believe it, focus on the positives!

As always, thanks to the Trek Stores of Madison, PowerBar, Xterra Wetsuits, Peak Performance Massage, Team BBMC for their support and Cliff English for all of your help!